# automc extensions
Soft fork of `itzg/mc-router` that adds Postgres-driven route management and an HTTP waker, without touching upstream behavior by default.
The `internal/automc` package is opt-in via env vars: with `AUTOMC_DSN` unset, the binary behaves exactly like upstream.
## Environment variables
| Var | Required | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| `AUTOMC_DSN` | yes (to enable) | Postgres DSN, e.g. `postgres://user:pass@host:5432/automc?sslmode=disable`. When unset, automc is a no-op. |
| `AUTOMC_WAKER_URL` | no | Base URL of the waker control plane (server-manager). When set, stopped backends are auto-started on login. |
| `AUTOMC_WAKER_TOKEN` | no | Sent as `X-API-Key` header on every waker request. |
Recommended companion upstream flags:
- `--use-asleep-motd` / `--use-loading-motd` — supplies friendly MOTD to clients during the wake window. Already implemented upstream; automc does not duplicate this.
## Postgres schema
Apply this once to the database referenced by `AUTOMC_DSN`. mc-router only reads; the trigger is what tells it to re-read.
```sql
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS servers (
name TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
domain TEXT NOT NULL,
address TEXT NOT NULL,
state TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'stopped',
UNIQUE(domain)
);
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION automc_notify_routes_changed() RETURNS trigger AS $$
BEGIN
PERFORM pg_notify('automc_routes_changed', '');
RETURN NULL;
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;
DROP TRIGGER IF EXISTS automc_servers_route_notify ON servers;
CREATE TRIGGER automc_servers_route_notify
AFTER INSERT OR UPDATE OF domain, address, state, enabled OR DELETE ON servers
FOR EACH ROW EXECUTE FUNCTION automc_notify_routes_changed();
```
The trigger fires on every mutation to a route-relevant column. mc-router holds a persistent `LISTEN automc_routes_changed` and re-runs `SELECT name, domain, address FROM servers WHERE domain != '' AND address != ''`, diffing against its in-memory map. Adds/removes/changes call `server.Routes.CreateMapping` and `DeleteMapping` directly — no file I/O.
State column is not read by mc-router; it exists to drive the trigger and for the waker's own ready-check.
### Sync lifecycle
```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
participant Wire as automc.Wire
participant Sync as syncer
participant PG as Postgres
participant R as server.Routes
Wire->>Sync: newSyncer(dsn, waker)
Wire-)Sync: go run(ctx)
Note over Sync: backoff = 1s
loop reconnect (until ctx cancelled)
Sync->>PG: pgx.Connect(dsn)
alt connect ok
Sync->>PG: LISTEN automc_routes_changed
Sync->>PG: SELECT name, domain, address FROM servers
PG-->>Sync: initial rows
Sync->>Sync: diff vs current (empty on first run)
loop for each add
Sync->>R: CreateMapping(host, addr, waker)
end
loop for each del
Sync->>R: DeleteMapping(host)
end
Note over Sync: backoff reset
loop while connection healthy
Sync->>PG: WaitForNotification(ctx)
PG-->>Sync: NOTIFY automc_routes_changed
Sync->>PG: SELECT all servers
PG-->>Sync: fresh rows
Sync->>R: CreateMapping / DeleteMapping (diff only)
end
else connect or notify error
Note over Sync: warn log
sleep backoff
backoff = min(backoff*2, 30s)
end
end
```
## Waker contract
When `AUTOMC_WAKER_URL` is set, every route is registered with a `WakerFunc` that the upstream connector calls only when a client tries to LOGIN (not on status pings — those are answered locally via `--use-asleep-motd`).
The waker:
1. `POST {AUTOMC_WAKER_URL}/servers/{name}/start` — fire-and-forget start signal. `409 Conflict` is treated as success (already starting).
2. Polls `GET {AUTOMC_WAKER_URL}/servers/{name}` every 2 s, expecting JSON `{"state":"running","address":"host:port"}`.
3. Returns the polled `address` once `state == "running"`, or errors after 90 s.
The polled address overrides the route's static address for that connection only — useful when the backend's IP is allocated lazily.
### Waker dispatch on stopped backend
```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
actor Client as MC Client
participant MR as mc-router
participant SM as server-manager (waker URL)
participant MC as MC backend
Client->>MR: TCP + Handshake (next_state=login)
Note over MR: Routes.FindBackendForServerAddress
returns backend + WakerFunc
MR->>MC: dial backend address
MC--xMR: connection refused
Note over MR: WakerFunc != nil →
invoke it before kicking client
MR->>SM: POST /servers/test1/start
X-API-Key: ...
alt 202 Accepted
SM-->>MR: 202
else 409 Conflict (already starting)
SM-->>MR: 409 — treat as success
else 5xx
SM-->>MR: error → WakerFunc returns err
MR->>Client: kick (connection refused)
end
loop every 2s, up to 90s
MR->>SM: GET /servers/test1
alt running
SM-->>MR: 200 state=running address=10.0.0.5:25565
else still starting
SM-->>MR: 200 state=starting
Note over MR: continue polling
end
end
Note over MR: WakerFunc returns address
MR->>MC: dial polled address
MC-->>MR: ok
MR->>Client: splice handshake-and-onward
```
## Upstream sync
```
make sync-upstream
```
Fetches `upstream/main`, rebases the `automc` branch onto it, builds, and runs the automc tests. The patch surface is intentionally tiny so rebase conflicts are rare:
```
cmd/mc-router/main.go — 1 import line + 4-line Wire call
internal/automc/ — new directory; no upstream conflicts possible
docs/AUTOMC.md — new doc; no upstream conflicts
Makefile — appended targets only
go.mod / go.sum — pgx dep added; mergeable
```
If upstream renames `server.Routes.CreateMapping` or changes its signature, only `pgsync.go:apply` needs adjustment.
## Quick start
```bash
# 1. Start a postgres reachable from mc-router
podman run -d --name automc-pg \
-e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=test -e POSTGRES_DB=automc \
-p 127.0.0.1:5432:5432 docker.io/postgres:16-alpine
# 2. Apply the schema + trigger (see "Postgres schema" above)
podman exec -i automc-pg psql -U postgres -d automc < schema.sql
# 3. Run mc-router with automc enabled
AUTOMC_DSN="postgres://postgres:test@127.0.0.1:5432/automc?sslmode=disable" \
AUTOMC_WAKER_URL="http://server-manager:8080" \
AUTOMC_WAKER_TOKEN="$SM_API_KEY" \
mc-router --port 25565 --api-binding 127.0.0.1:25590 --use-asleep-motd
# 4. Add a route
podman exec automc-pg psql -U postgres -d automc -c \
"INSERT INTO servers (name, domain, address, state) \
VALUES ('test1', 'test1.example.com', '127.0.0.1:25001', 'running');"
# Log should show: automc route +: test1.example.com → 127.0.0.1:25001 (test1)
# REST API should show it: curl http://127.0.0.1:25590/routes
```
## Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Binary starts but no `automc: pg route sync started` log | `AUTOMC_DSN` empty or unset | `env \| grep AUTOMC_DSN` |
| `automc pgsync disconnected; reconnecting in 1s` repeating | pg unreachable / wrong DSN | Test with `psql "$AUTOMC_DSN" -c "SELECT 1"` |
| INSERT into `servers` doesn't fire a route | Trigger missing or not on the right columns | `\d+ servers` in psql — confirm `automc_servers_route_notify` trigger exists |
| Routes appear in REST `/routes` but client connect times out | Backend address wrong / unreachable from mc-router | `podman exec mc-router nc -zv